Like I said last chapter, this one is mostly filler to prepare for the 10k word chapter next week. I am, however, quite pleased with it.
Thanks, as you all should know, goes to ncpfan for his help.
I'm pretty sure I had other things I wanted to say, but for the life of me I can't remember them. Naturally, they should return the second I post the chapter.
And with that said, let's start the chapter.
On with the show!
Pen against paper scratched through the room, each stroke leaving dark paths of ink. His eyes followed the path almost absentmindedly, a vain attempt to ignore the presence in his office. The meeting was in an hour, if he could just avoid this for an hour he might not have to deal with it.
Of course, that was a foolish dream and they both knew it.
"How did it go?" His voice interrupted the song of his pen as he continued to work, not once turning to look at his guest. He didn't need to turn his chair around to know Kakashi lounged in the windowsill, casting him looks of disappointment. It would seem things hadn't gone as smoothly as he had hoped they might.
"Oh, you know, no real point in testing them when I can't fail them." The voice was rather bored as it answered, but both knew that hadn't been the question.
"He didn't respond well, I take it?" He had been afraid of that. It was a risk, he knew, especially when he had little information, but it was one he was sincerely hoping would pay off for all those involved. He should have expected things to go wrong, everything he did went sour when it came to the young man.
"He responded very well, actually." Hiruzen could hear the turning of a page, no doubt the work of his old student. "Or, he did in my opinion. Cut her down immediately."
In alarm, the aged Kage spun around to look at the student of the Yondaime.
"He cut her down?!" The man only shrugged in response.
"Verbally, anyway. It was pretty satisfying, though I wouldn't have minded a bit of bloodshed."
Hiruzen released a relieved sigh. The last thing he wanted to hear was that Naruto had gotten into a fight with his mother, especially one that ended in death.
"So he didn't like the idea of being apprenticed to her? I thought he'd like not having teammates so that he could go about things at his own pace."
"Who knows?" Kakashi shrugged again. "She never got the chance to bring it up."
"Really?" It was obvious from that alone that he was not too keen on interacting with his former family. Kushina should have at least had the chance to tell him of the proposed apprenticeship, he could only imagine how pissed the young man would be at the moment thinking that he was purely on the reserves.
He'd have to find a different arrangement, the talent Naruto had couldn't be wasted waiting around for an opening in a team. Maybe he could find someone else to apprentice him under, or at least a mentor who could take him on missions every so often. Hell, paying a Chuunin team to take him on missions wasn't a bad idea either, and Naruto never had to know he was behind it.
Naruto would benefit, he would have been able to help the boy, and the village would have yet another skilled Shinobi in its ranks. Everybody would win. Well, everyone save Kushina, but she could, at the very least, be comforted by the fact that he was doing well for himself.
He had to hold back a snort at that one. Kushina would never look at it that way, only that he had refused to work with her. Then again, he hadn't refused as it was never offered. He had to at least give the two of them a chance. If the boy said no, so be it, but at least he had the option.
He'd probably need to be the one to bring it up, though. Kushina hadn't been given the chance to mention it but he knew Naruto would let him talk for the sole reason that he was the Hokage. If he were to have Kushina present when he called for Naruto he would also be able to see how the two of them interacted after four years apart. That alone could show this to have been a bad idea and allow him to better decide how to deal with Naruto's teamlessness.
He wanted Naruto and Kushina to work together in order to repair their relationship, of course, but he wasn't going to force something like that if it only served to make things worse. Before anything else, he was Hokage. It was his duty to make sure Konoha and her occupants remained safe. If it meant not trying to restore the bond between mother and child so that he might have two Ninja ready to serve, so be it.
Hell, even one able and willing to serve and protect was better than having them both too caught up in their own problems to aid the village they swore themselves to.
"Really." Kakashi's voice broke him out of his musings. "He's a swift one, you know. He wasted no time in cutting her down with his words. I thought it was pretty well done, but that might just be because he knew her well enough to know what to say." He gave yet another shrug. "Then again, I'm pretty biased myself, so maybe it wasn't so great."
"I see, and how did he seem to feel about not being placed on a standard team?"
"Well, he seemed pretty pissed even before seeing Kushina, but I have to admit there was only a brief moment for me to look."
"Oh?"
"Kushina was right outside the doors waiting, so once he stepped out he saw her. Naruko wasn't far behind him though, so I think it's safe to assume he stormed out and she gave chance."
"Damn." Hiruzen gave a sigh. "I was hoping this was a chance to start fixing things."
There was silence for a few moments, neither man having much more to say.
"Kakashi?"
"Yes, Hokage-Sama?"
"I know you said quickly, but he did tell her about what's happened, didn't he?" The Sandaime questioned.
"Nope, not a word." Kakashi paused. "Well, now that I think about it, I suppose he hinted at one event, but I'm not sure that was even intentional."
"Which event?"
"He told her he wasn't her son."
"It's true, in a way." Hiruzen shook his head sadly. Why did those with Uzumaki blood always cause such problems for those around them? And with two of them having problems with each other, this could very easily become a nightmare.
Worse still was that Kushina hadn't the slightest idea what had happened in her absence. Someone would eventually have to tell her, or she would somehow piece it together, but neither option was good for anybody. If no one told her, she'd be angry with everyone, but he wouldn't wish the task of telling her on his enemies.
He could, however, wish that that task wouldn't fall to him.
"What are the chances of Naruto accepting an apprenticeship?"
"With Kushina?"
"Yes, with Kushina."
Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before shrugging.
"Probably about the same as him accepting one with the Yondaime"
"The Yondaime is dead, Kakashi, as you well know."
"That was kind of the point, Hokage-Sama."
He'd been sighing a lot, he realized as he let out another long breath. Not for the first time he wished he had been the one to perform the sealing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune all those years ago. This was beginning to be too much for him these days. If he was fortunate he'd be able to enjoy a few years of a second retirement, but at this rate heart or lung disease seemed far more likely. With his current luck, he'd still be Kage as he lay on his deathbed.
"We have a rather large mess on our hands, don't we Kakashi?"
"No, you have a rather large mess on your hands. The only things I need to worry about are training three brats and paying my rent."
Another sigh escaped Hiruzen's lips.
It must have been nice to be Kakashi.
She skipped down the halls, eager to retreat into her personal chambers, and paid no mind to the way her cloak trailed behind her and exposed what little clothing she wore underneath. A pair of black shorts hugged her lower body, reminiscent of the pants she had been in when she arrived here in Ame, and her chest was covered in no more than a bra.
Around the outskirts of the village it might be nice and cool, but Mikoto found that here in the center it was quite hot. That heat and the constant moisture made for a rather unpleasant combination. Some of the others might have been unphased by the muggy atmosphere, or, at least, not shown if they were, but she was of the opinion that the Jashinist had the right idea going shirtless.
Naturally, she ignored the fact that he always went shirtless, mostly because he went through them so damn fast.
And it wasn't as if anyone could tell what was under her cloak normally anyway. For all they knew Pein could be standing there in the buff and be getting a raging boner every time he called himself a god. That man had some serious problems.
Then again, most of them did. One did not become an S-class Shinobi without accumulating a few issues.
Luckily, she could not yet call herself S-class and wasn't aware of any problems she might have. Of course, one must then wonder if any of the S-class Shinobi knew they had issues or if they thought themselves perfectly normal. Now that was a scary thought.
Shaking it from her head, she continued to skip her to her room. She would much rather have walked, both because it was the proper thing to do and would have ensured no one could get a glimpse of her shirtlessness, but with another meeting having let out and everyone currently behind her she couldn't be behaving in any manner that might seem out of character.
Fortunately she knew for a fact that they were all behind her, or, at the very least, not before her, which meant the most they would see would be a little extra leg. They could use that in whatever little fantasies played out in their heads. She had seen the looks, naturally, and she couldn't blame them. She might go about in a mask, but the only other woman in the organization was Konan who, while attractive, no one really wanted to try.
It was not hard to see that Pein favored his angel, messing with her- whom they all were pretty sure had a thing for their leader- would bring about his wrath. S-rank they may be, but not one of them felt like testing themselves against the fabled Rinnegan. Well, Hidan might, but he didn't have a very good sense of danger, being immortal and all.
She had talked with all the members a few times during her stay, such was inevitable during a period extending over a year, but her childlike act seemed to put off most of those who might otherwise try something. Deidara seemed to think it cute, Kisame seemed to care little past the fact that she was female, and, much to her own disgust, Itachi appeared to be interested.
She knew he had no idea who she really was, but that didn't do anything to make her feel better about it.
Hopefully that interest would pass in time because she really didn't want to have to deal with her son trying to get with her or risk blowing her cover trying to prevent it.
Maybe she could convince Zetsu to pretend they were in a relationship?
No, that was a terrible idea.
But she could probably pay Kakuzu.
Part of her argued that she couldn't hide forever.
Another part reminded her that she managed to run away for over a decade.
She hadn't had an angry Uzumaki mother after her the last time, though, in fact, there hadn't been anyone after her at all. It would be nice to go back to those carefree days of drinking and gambling. Shizune, however, probably appreciated not having to live such a lifestyle anymore. She may have been young but she really wasn't the type to enjoy living on the run. Bursts of excitement? Of course, but a never-ending chase during which you have to care for an inebriated Sannin? No, she was probably rather relieved that the two of them had stopped.
Of course, now she seemed pretty restless. Poor girl.
'Poor girl? At least she doesn't have Uzumaki Kushina after blood.'
Well, she didn't either, but Tsunade wasn't confident in that lasting long. Sooner or later Kushina would learn everything and she had no doubt that she would rise to the top of the woman's shit list.
Lucky her.
She had no real right to be feeling self-pity, having brought this upon herself, but it was nice to distract herself from the crushing guilt by focusing solely upon the problems and ignoring the fact that she was the cause. Unfortunately, that did little to solve her problems.
In fact there was little- if anything- that could solve her problems at this point. She had been here for four years- Four years – and yet hadn't even seen the reason she had returned. It didn't matter what excuses she tried to comfort herself with, it was unacceptable and that was the bottom line.
It was worse than that, she knew, because her inaction didn't just affect her godson but his entire family. Her goddaughter Naruko and the woman she often thought of as a daughter Uzumaki Kushina had both relied on her for updates on Naruto's wellbeing in the hopes that they might be able to return home to him.
She had failed them all.
And she had failed herself.
It was a pity that she hadn't realized that this was an opportunity to turn her life around sooner. She had been scared, naturally, of becoming attached, but that was probably exactly what she needed. Shizune probably wouldn't be around much longer and once she left Tsunade would have nothing left. But, had she simply allowed herself to take care of the boy, even risking the chance that he too might be torn from her, then she would at least have something left in this world.
Then again, maybe she did.
It might not be a person or possession, but could it be what she needed to keep her going?
Could she continue purely for the sake of atonement?
She might not be able to make things right, but surely she could spend the rest of her life trying.
Right?
A slight laugh escaped her lips.
What did she really have to lose?
She'd have to start with the reason she was brought here in the first place, it was all she really had to work with at this point. Naruto didn't even know that she was his godmother so anything dealing with that could be left for later. The medical side could help on both fronts, aiding her with Naruto and Kushina, and it would only take being in the good graces of one of them to get a solid foundation to start making things better.
It would be better for her to get on Naruto's good side to help her with Kushina, but she couldn't deny the benefit of pacifying Kushina and working with her to get the both of them back into his life. She might not have done right by him while she was here, but even she knew he wouldn't be too happy with Kushina after her unannounced departure from his life.
Either way, she was going to have to start with Naruto's health.
Grinning for the first time in days, she began clearing Sake bottles off her desk.
"Shizune!"
Maybe, just maybe, she could make things right after all.
"Shizune!" Startled as the quiet of the house gave way to the voice of her master, Shizune found herself wondering what could have made the Sannin call for her.
After marking her place in her book and setting it back down on the coffeetable quick strides brought her to her baster's bedroom in a scant few moments. Oddly enough, it was empty. Peering down the hall revealed the door to the study ajar. It was rather curious, as her master had already gone through all the Sake in the regular stores days ago.
The Study had been the first place she had cleared out looking for more.
The room had been quickly scoured and drained of her master's favorite vice before she moved to the other rooms of the house. Surely there hadn't been more?
Then again, this was the Senju compound; it was actually more likely than she'd like to think.
"Yes, Tsunade-Sama?" She called upon reaching the door. No sooner than the words had been spoken the door was pulled open, allowing her to see her master for the first time in several days. Considering the mood she had been in for the past few weeks, and even the lethargically drunk state she had been in for the past few years, the broad smile she now wore was beyond concerning.
"Shizune!" The cry was almost joyful and she had to wonder for a moment if her master had turned to drugs in the absence of alcohol. "Brilliant, just the girl I needed to see!"
"Erm, Tsunade-Sama, are you alright?" When she was immediately swept into a crushing hug, Shizune knew that her master most certainly not alright. Tsunade never gave hugs. Never.
"I've never been better, Shizune, never been better!"
"Ah, okay." She'd just have to wait for whatever was in her master's system to leave before trying to get to the bottom of this. "So, what did you need?"
She was released instantly as Tsunade rushed back into the study and began pulling medical books from the shelves.
"I need you to get me everything you can on Uzumaki Naruto."
"Everything?"
"Everything!" A large stack of books was piled atop the sturdy wooden desk and her master turned back to look at her. "I want medical records, arrest records, every report from Gennin to ANBU that even mentions him, everything!" ANBU reports? That was a ridiculous request; there was no way she could get her hands on those. Of course, she wasn't going to even try bringing that up right now, Tsunade was already acting far too strange.
"Alright, but, why?" The smile she was given in response was blinding and Shizune could have sworn her eyes were filled with hope.
"Because I'm going to make things right."
Shizune had no idea what was going on at the moment but, as weird as it was, she decided to enjoy it while it lasted.
After all, whatever was causing this would end soon enough-
It always did.
She let out a relieved sigh when she finally made it to the safety of her room. Closing the door behind her and leaning against it for support, she wondered how she could have ended up in such a situation.
Hinata no Mikoto? Really?
It was absolutely preposterous but, worse, they seemed to truly believe it!
She was not some sort of goddess, far from it. If it hadn't been for Naruto's help she'd be nothing more than a slave at the moment. Naruto's help, admittedly, is also what seemed to have landed her in this mess.
If she was fortunate, he could also help her out of it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door and with an embarrassed blush she quickly turned to open it, granting access to her guards. So caught up was she in her new problems that she forgot they would have been following her.
The Genjutsu they used to keep out of sight wavered and vanished as they took up positions in her room. There was no reason to be invisible in the safety of her quarters as few would dare use the Byakugan within the compound let alone to peer into the room belonging to the daughter of their head, branch or not.
Even if they did, however, they would not show up clearly. It wasn't perfect, but Naruto had mentioned some sort of seal that kept the Byakugan from working properly. It would see them, of course, but it would be hard to recognize them unless someone really looked hard. It also helped that their uniforms, curtesy of the Yamanaka treasury, were chakra insulated, which would muffle their chakra signature and retain any chakra that might leak off of them.
It wasn't cheap and her four guards were the only Wolves to wear such gear but there really wasn't any option when it came to guarding her from within the Hyuuga clan compound. Of course, knowing this, she felt somewhat hesitant to request more aid.
Unless…
She frowned in thought. Could- could he actually use this? Would this be to his advantage?
Though it seemed almost too good to be true, she couldn't shake the feeling that with this she might be able to aid him for a change. She'd need his guidance, of course, but if he could help her with this situation and benefit from the arrangement then she knew that the least she could do was inform him of the recent events and inquire to any steps he wanted taken in relation to this development.
Grabbing a piece of paper from her desk, she quickly wrote down all the important details she could think of in regards to the situation. Confidence momentarily boosted by the thought of being of use to the young man who had been looking out for her, she signed both the note and the envelope she placed in into with 'Hinata no Mikoto'. That, if nothing else, was sure to get his attention.
Knowing exactly what she was up to, one of the Wolves took hold of the envelope and, with an approving nod at her decision to report this to Naruto, they quickly took off.
Hopefully Naruto would be as pleased with her actions as the Wolf had been.
And maybe, just maybe, he would be proud of her.
It was with a smile that she went to bed that night.
He woke in a familiar bed, within a familiar room, with a rather unfamiliar weight pressed against his right side. Managing to lift himself onto his elbows, her brought his left hand up to rub the sleep out of his eyes and was almost pulled back onto the bed.
A quick look down showed a very sleepy, very clingy Mitarashi Anko.
Shaking his head at the sight, he managed to extract himself from her arms. She seemed to have no preference between him and his pillow and wasted no time trying to crush it in her grip as she slept.
For a woman nearing full Jounin rank she really was quite childlike.
Idly puzzling over his shirtlessness- he didn't remember taking that off last night- he went about getting ready for the day. Hinata's letter had been waiting for him when he returned with the girls after dinner and he wanted to be able to speak to her about the situation in person as quickly as possible. Of course, she would probably be meeting with her team for their first training session but he was sure he could manage to steal her away for a few moments.
Seeing as it was Kurenai who had been assigned her Jounin instructor it likely wouldn't be any trouble at all.
A quick shower and a change of clothes later and Anko was still trying to kill his poor pillow. Picking up her discarded coat and skirt from the floor, he placed them neatly at the end of the bed before retrieving his cloak and blade from his closet. Thinking better of it, his cloak went back in. He could probably get some training in, perhaps even a few practice spars with Yugao, after talking with Hinata. It would a pity to lose or damage his cloak.
He knew it was intended to be worn but he couldn't help the attachment he felt to it. Even if he didn't know who had sent it, it had been their first gift to him and he was rather fond of it. He would much rather it be damaged or destroyed on a memorable mission than training here in Konoha.
Closing his closet door as gently as possible not to wake his guest, he quickly left the room only to find that his guests numbered two. Curled up on his couch, Mai seemed more comfortable than Anko had. Then again, that could be because Mai tried to remain as reserved as possible throughout the day, something she couldn't do while sleeping.
Turning back to his room for a spare blanket, he realized quickly that the Tokubetsu Jounin wasn't about to surrender any of them without a fight. Giving a sigh and knowing he had no more blankets, he grabbed his cloak and brought it out to the main room, carefully draping it over the shoulders of his most loyal subordinate.
She relaxed further under its warmth and he couldn't restrain the curving of his lips. She really seemed like a different person while sleeping.
He was about to head to the kitchen for a quick breakfast when a knock sounded at his door. Knowing that the Wolves prowling around the apartment building wouldn't have let the person get this far if they were hostile –and knowing that if his Wolves had been dispatched he really didn't have much of a chance anyway- he cracked open his front door to be greeted by the porcelain face of an ANBU agent.
Presumed identity known and a hand on Mōryō's Tooth, he opened the door enough for his entire head to be properly seen.
"Can I help you, ANBU-San?"
"My apologies for coming so early, but Hokage-Sama would like to see you in his office, preferably before team meetings take place."
"I see, did he say why?" The ANBU shook his head.
"I'm afraid not."
Giving a sigh- and a longing look back to his kitchen- he gave a nod to the Shinobi outside his door.
"Very well, let him know I'll leave immediately but I'll be stopping for something to eat along the way."
"Of course, I'll pass it along. I bid you a pleasant day, Naruto-San." And with that he was gone.
Giving one last look inside his apartment, he shook his head and walked into the morning streets of Konoha.
It had started so well, couldn't that have lasted until lunch?
It wasn't long after the apartment's owner had left that she found herself knocking on the door. When no one answered she tried once more and when that failed she looked about for permission. Atop a nearby building a porcelain wolf peered down at her. Giving a quick nod, it vanished again.
Taking that as a go ahead and knowing that she would be stopped if she wasn't allowed to enter, she turned the handle and entered the apartment. Giving a grin when she spotted the sleeping young woman on the couch, her lips quickly turned downwards.
Anko hadn't been in her apartment, which was odd considering she rarely woke before eight, and that made here the next likely place, having come from her own home. But if she hadn't crashed on his couch, she couldn't have, could she?
Poking her head into the bedroom she located her friend holding tightly to a pillow and wrapped tightly in a mess of blankets. That was Anko alright.
She gave a brief look to the clothing at the end of the bed with a frown before turning to look at a clock. It was barely past six and she had told her team to meet her at nine. That gave her a good two and a half hours before she needed to leave with rather generous travel time for a Kunoichi of her caliber.
Deciding that she could let her friend sleep in a bit more- six was pretty early, especially for Anko- she left the room and made her way to the small kitchen. Her original intention had been to sit at the table while she waited but she quickly found herself cooking breakfast.
Not only did it give her something to do but with any luck it would wake up Anko. There were only two things that could get Anko awake before seven; sex and food. Only one of those would get her out of bed. Seeing as she had no intention of crawling into bed with the woman –with an added note that the bed didn't belong to either of them but rather a freshly graduated Gennin- she decided to make some food.
Of course, she'd have to reimburse Naruto later. Maybe she could invite him and Anko over for a dinner at her place one of these days. If they worked together they might even be able to have Anko host the next meal. She gave a slight giggle at the thought. Anko was a terrible cook; they would be better off just ordering something to go and eating it on her couch.
Kurenai couldn't even count the number of times the two of them had done just that.
It wasn't much longer that someone else stumbled into the kitchen. Unfortunately, it wasn't anko.
"H-have you seen Naruto-Sama?" Though faint, there was an evident blush on the girl's face as she delicately held the boy's cloak. Kurenai thought it was adorable.
"No, he wasn't here when I came in. Would you like some breakfast?"
"N-no, thank you I really need to be going. Could you thank Naruto-Sama for me if you see him?"
Kurenai raised a brow.
"Thank him for what?"
"Last night-" The poor girl froze in shock and covered her mouth immediately, her face burning red.
"Last night, huh?" Kurenai gave a slight smirk at the embarrassed girl.
"I mean, um-" Kurenai waved off her explanation.
"Don't worry, I'll thank him for you. Must have been a hell of a night though, Anko's clothes were scattered all over the room."
An even brighter blush covered her face as she quickly escaped the kitchen. Moments later the door opened and shut, leaving Kurenai and a sleeping Anko in the apartment.
'Cute girl, I should tease her more often.' Of course she was familiar with Mai, having seen her several times over the past year, but she hadn't really exchanged words with her before now. There were greetings and wishes of good days, but they tended to cross paths only when one of them was leaving.
She'd have to put a bit more effort into interacting with her from now on, that had been fun.
Other than a quick stop into a bakery that had fortunately been open, Naruto's walk to the Hokage tower was uneventful. His purchase washed down by a drink from the vending machine at the bottom of the counter, he ascended the steps quickly, ready to deal with whatever the Sandaime had for him.
Of course, he didn't necessarily expect what greeted him.
It was a familiar image to many, the Sandaime reclining behind his desk with a pipe in hand, but there was one noticeable difference in this particular occurrence of a well-known scene.
Standing by his desk, bright red hair falling down her back, stood Uzumaki Kushina.
And she was smiling.
And that's chapter XIX. See you all next week for act XX.